Dear Roper, 

Each year, this issue celebrates the Cinch USTRC’s National Finals of Team Roping—the largest roping in the world, the event that helped create interstate commerce in this sport we all love. 

When the USTRC hosted its first National Finals in Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Lazy E Arena in 1990, a new era in Western performance began. And as you read in last month’s Team Roping Journal, the event is returning to the E in all its glory. But for our final outing in Fort Worth, the US Finals paid a massive $3.9 million in cash and another $300,000 in prizes, and hosted more than 7,000 teams, keeping it one of the sport’s leading events. 

The stories out of this year’s Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping were first told on our newest platform—EQN Sports—through the Holiday Auto Group Sports Desk with hosts Dru Stewart and Amy Wilson, then our assistant editor Calli Montague put pen to paper so you can read them in this magazine. 

Kirsten Ziegler, our USTRC staff photographer, expertly captured the images you find on the cover and throughout the magazine, showcasing winners down to the finest detail. 

If you followed the coverage online, you saw raw emotion—like the heartfelt faith three-time World Champion Jade Corkill expressed after his two wins in the John Justin Arena and the big horse hug Gabriel Salgado gave after his win. Luckily, our team at the Equine Network was on site to capture it in high-definition and stream it across Roping.com for the world to see. 

We’ve alluded to it a lot lately, but bringing the magic of Western sports to the masses continues to be our passion, and in 2026, we plan to do it more than ever. This $120 million-per-year roping industry is still growing, and there’s no one like our team equipped to showcase its continued explosion. Thanks for joining us on this ride. 

See you at the next one, 

Chelsea